Digital Content

Designed by Teachers for Teachers - mapped to Common Core Standards

digitalcontent_graphic

VSCHOOLZ provides the most complete digital content library available. Unlike publishers that simply convert text books into e-readers, all VSCHOOLZ curriculum and activities are specifically designed for digital delivery according to the Quality Matters® online instructional design standards. Seamlessly integrate Open Education Resources and content from our partners.

school-children-use-compu-008

 

The Instructional Design Center® makes adding a video or link to a website simple and new edits can be made to reflect current events and class discussions. VSCHOOLZ puts the right tools in the teacher’s hands to bring engaging content into the classroom. The days of being stuck with outdated textbooks and irrelevant references are finally over.

Common Core Mapping

There is no question that the Common Core is the most important step in recent years toward the development of a standard metric for the USA to develop robust and relevant content for the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.  VSCHOOLZ is among the first and most innovative in the mapping of courseware to the Common Core because we don’t just map at the course level like many others, we map down to the individual content object.  This difficult and expensive practice puts VSCHOOLZ curriculum on a level where we have few equals.  Combine this with our real-time reporting to Common Core achievement and we are in a class of our own.

No matter what subject you are teaching or content you may be using, the ability to cover and assess learning at the individual concept or “object” level is a necessity for maximizing learning outcomes.  While many LMS vendors and text book publishers are struggling to retrofit their technology and content in an attempt to achieve even the most basic benefits of this best practice, VSCHOOLZ was designed from scratch around this concept.  Every learning object and assessment question is tied to a standard enabling amazingly powerful real-time analytics that provide teachers with a clear awareness of each student’s needs and the tools needed to customize instruction and learning plans individually.

With VSCHOOLZ, a teacher not only knows that a student got a B on his math test, she also knows that he still does not understand the concept of multiplying numbers with exponents.  In fact, she has real-time information for every one of her students so she knows exactly who understands which concepts.  Armed with this information, the teacher can now customize a learning plan directly addressing each student’s needs by simply selecting and dragging in additional content, activities and exercises before retesting.

Mix and Match Your Own

VSCHOOLZ allows teachers to mix, match and add their own content to courses making VSCHOOLZ one of the most powerful.

VSCHOOLZ Pedagogy

Curriculum

  • The core curriculum is designed to ensure key components are incorporated as we move along this continuum of excellence in providing 21st century educational opportunities for students, teacher and staff.
  • Teacher led and student self-directed instruction takes place in classes, engaging students in the process of online learning.
  • Lessons are developed to encourage additional student discovery through used of multiple sources for investigation and production of quality work.

The area of curriculum is worth examining because no online course is ever exactly what a brick and mortar school wants it to be initially. Using the unique teacher authoring tools, each school may take the provided content and customize their own version to reflect their site needs, or initially, to reflect their required standards. Content from any provider may be added as supplemental curriculum, or as preferred/replacements to the core of the VSCHOOLZ provided content. Once the platform is in place, the unique teacher authoring tools allow schools and authorized staff to add content, to customize content, or to create new materials for delivery to students at anytime during the school year. Our courses include a variety of source materials: teacher developed lessons and instructional materials, NROC (National Repository of Online Courses) materials, SAS Curriculum Pathways materials, Discovery Education materials, commercial Virtual Science labs, online literature and reading materials.

Each course has a teacher guide or course outline which identifies the standards taught in that course for each week. Many of the curriculum materials used are clearly aligned with state and national standards, making it easier for teachers to develop lessons and instructional content. Courses include a heavy emphasis on teacher directed instruction, the use of message boards and the use of extended response questions, including more analytical written assignments. Our goal is to steer away from use of canned curriculum, allowing for more customization, a greater variety of resources, and more specific teacher influence than a complete, canned program would permit. We are in continuous search for improved digital materials to meet the need of our students and schools.

Quality Matters

Quality Matters (QM) is a faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and blended courses. QM is a leader in quality assurance for online education and has received national recognition for its peer-based approach and continuous improvement in online education and student learning. QM subscribers include community and technical colleges, colleges and universities, K-12 schools and systems, and other academic institutions.

There are three primary components in the Quality Matters Program: The QM Rubric, the Peer Review Process and QM Professional Development. If you are new to QM and wish to learn more, download the Overview and Introduction Presentation and Guide.

Course Offerings

Course OfferingsNov.fw

Pricing

Please contact your sales representative for pricing.  If you do not have a sales representative please contact us at [email protected]